If part of the magic of photography is the ability to capture a moment forever, then Nick Moir must be a magician.

The Australian photographer has been fascinated with storms since childhood, when he grew up in the Blue Mountain area near Sydney. Since then, Moir has been chasing storms and following bushfires for over a decade to try and capture nature in its most dangerous.

Moir tells HuffPost Culture that, since childhood, his chosen pursuit has felt "natural", but that doesn't mean his job hasn't put him in some dangerous situations.

He explains that sometimes the best photos come from "core-punching", which means driving through winds over 100kph, giant hail and avoiding rain-wrapped tornadoes.

However, it is bushfire photography that Moir says is most risky.

"During the Canberra bushfire emergency in 2003 I was trying to reach the front [of the fire] when smoke was so thick I had to open my car door to see where I was on the road. The smoke suddenly turned black and a orange glow formed to my right."

Moir narrowly escaped by driving through a fence into nearby fields, but says it was a "nasty lesson".

Even after such experiences, Moir says he is still surprised by the power of nature. "I thought the 2003 Canberra bushfires would be the worst that fires could get, then in 2009 the Black Saturday fires of Victoria reset all the records - almost doubling the wind speeds and record temperatures creating many fires with about four far stronger than the Canberra fires."

Even if the amazing photos weren't enough to make up for such peril, however, there's quite an emotional journey which accompanies storm chasing.

From the "intense, overwhelming and anxiety-filled moments checking and rechecking I am in a good position for the weather event I am covering" to the "huge relief and elation if you capture the event in its awesome power."

Awesome is certainly the word. Enjoy the photos from Moir's back catalogue in our two galleries below.